Top Picks Flat Panels

Note: Within each price category, Top Picks are presented in the order in which the TVs were reviewed with the most recent reviews first.

<$1,999

Vizio M65-E0 LCD Ultra HDTV: $1,100
The 65-inch model in Vizio’s midrange M Series offers substantial improvements over its 2016 counterpart, including higher peak brightness when displaying high dynamic range (HDR) sources and an extended color gamut that rivals what you get with more expensive TVs. The best part? It offers all of these upgrades at a lower price. You’ll have to live with a single HDMI 2.0a port but that may be a small price to pay for performance that reviewer Al Griffin called impressive.
(January 2018, Read Full Review)

Vizio M65-D0 Ultra HD Display: $1,299
Vizio has bolstered its reputation as a value-conscious TV maker with the 65-inch M65-D0, which delivers 4K/Ultra HD resolution and two kinds of high dynamic range (HDR) processing (Dolby Vision and HDR10) for only $1,299. But the M65-D0 is, technically, not a TV because it doesn’t have a tuner to receive digital TV broadcasts over the air—something most of us won’t miss. Rather, it’s a video display that’s focused on streaming and further sets itself apart by trading a traditional remote control handset for a mini tablet loaded with Vizio’s SmartCast app.
(December 2016, Read Full Review)

Vizio E65-C3 LCD: $1,000
If you can live without 4K, the 1080p E65-C3 is a no-branier. It boasts a full-array backlight with 16 zones of local dimming, a spacious 65-inch screen, and excellent picture quality.
(December 2015, Read Full Review)

LG 55EC9300 3D OLED: $1,800 (updated 2/2/16)
It’s been a long time coming but you can thank LG for finally making OLED TV a reality at a price that’s affordable. The 55EC9300 delivers stellar picture performance and even outperforms its predecessor, the 55EA9800, which costs twice as much. Singling out its impressive performance with black levels, contrast, and shadow detail, veteran reviewer Tom Norton called the LG about as “close to [perfect] as I suspect we’re going to get in a relatively affordable HDTV for the near future.” High praise, indeed.
(December 2014, Read Full Review)

Vizio M602i-B3 LED/LCD: $1,250
While it’s not quite the deal you get with Vizio’s lower-cost E series HDTVs, this M series set offers excellent performance at a very reasonable price. It forgoes 3D but is equipped with built-in Internet connectivity and adds full-array local dimming with 32 zones of control to achieve an impressive picture. Reviewer Al Griffin wrote: “The Vizio’s local-dimming backlight definitely worked magic with Blu-rays like 2001: A Space Odyssey and other reference-grade sci-fi space operas. In shots with starfields, pinpoints of light retained their brightness while the empty space beyond came across as a rich, inky black.”
(October 2014, Read Full Review)

$2,000-$4,999

Sony XBR-65X900E LCD Ultra HDTV: $2,000
Sony’s stylish 65-inch Ultra HDTV is a compelling choice for budget buyers upgrading to HDR, offering a wide assortment of streaming options, Chromecast compatibility, impressive light output, and excellent picture uniformity. If that’s not enough, color is accurate out of the box and the set delivers images with strong contrast and detailed shadows. As veteran TV reviewer Al Griffin put it, “You could easily spend much more on a new TV, but I’m not sure you really need to.”
(December 2017, Read Full Review)

LG OLED65E6P OLED Ultra HDTV: $4,000
LG’s OLED65E6P TV is state-of-the-art in every way, which helps explain why it made our 2016 Top Picks of the Year list. It supports all the latest technologies, including HDMI 2.0a, is equipped with LG’s excellent webOS 3.0 interface, and uses its 8 million pixels to produce a stunning 4K picture, particularly when the source material is high dynamic range—HDR10 or Dolby Vision. “I’ve now seen Independence Day several times, and it has never looked better,” wrote reviewer Tom Norton, “not only because of the LG’s effective HDR but also because of its stunning resolution and convincing color.” (February/March 2017, Read Full Review)

Samsung UN65KS9800 LCD Ultra HDTV: $4,500
Whether or not you like its curved screen, Samsung’s top-of-the-line SUHD TV does something everyone will appreciate: It outperforms its predecessor without raising the price. Veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton was impressed: “The Samsung is an expensive set, but it earns its price with some of the best images—HD, UHD, SDR, HDR—that we’ve yet seen from an Ultra HDTV.”
(October 2016, Read Full Review)

Sony XBR-65X930D LCD Ultra HDTV: $3,000
Drawing on its storied history in TV technology (who can forget Trinitron) Sony has put its best foot forward in the X930D. One step down from the flagship X940D, this magnificent 65-incher is loaded with the latest picture enhancing technology with one exception: Instead of full-array local dimming—the gold standard for LCD Ultra HDTVs—Sony has upped the ante on edge-lit local dimming and produced the best edge-lit picture we’ve ever seen.
(September 2016, Read Full Review)

Samsung UN60F8000 3D LCD: $2,300 (updated 2/2/16)
Behind the distinguished minimalist design of the UN60F8000 lies a sophisticated Smart TV that puts a host of apps and content at your fingertips. The set also includes an innovative touchpad remote control that gives you the option of controlling the TV by voice or Wii-like gesture. But, most important, Samsung has delivered an LCD TV that offers a minimal-compromise alternative to plasma picture quality. As reviewer Al Griffin put it: “If you’re on the lookout for one of the best-performing LCDs available—one with a very appealing mix of Smart features—you won’t be disappointed.”
(December 2013, Read Full Review)

$5,000 >

LG OLED65E7P OLED Ultra HDTV: $5,000
Think of LG’s 65-inch OLED65E7P 4K OLED TV as a lower cost, yet still excellent performing alternative to the the stunning, near-paper-thin W7 series OLED65W7P. How excellent? For veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton, picture quality was “as close to [perfect] as I’ve experienced” with superb resolution and high dynamic range (HDR) performance that adds realism without distracting from a movie’s story line.
(September 2017, Read Full Review)

Sony XBR-65A1E OLED Ultra HDTV: $5,50
People tend to forget that Sony introduced the world’s first OLED TV — the 11-inch XEL-1 — a decade ago and then quietly exited the market. If you’ve been waiting for Sony to get back into the OLED game, the wait is over. The 65-inch XBR-65A1E distinguishes itself as a solid performer with brilliant color and excellent high dynamic range (HDR) chops. Veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton concluded: “The A1E looked remarkable, in nearly every way meeting my expectations for a premium OLED display.”
(November 2017, Read Full Review)

Sony XBR-65Z9D LCD Ultra HDTV: $5,500
Sony draws on its decades-long history as an innovator in television (Trinitron, anyone?) to create a state-the-art TV that draws on 4K/Ultra HD resolution and high dynamic range (HDR) processing to deliver images that Tom Norton called “supremely real.”
Recapping his impressions while watching Oblivion—one of his HDR go-to discs—the veteran reviewer wrote: “In the dark, underground library scene—as Jack is chased by the Scavs and as flashes from his rifle land in your lap—you realize you’re not in Kansas anymore.”
(January 2017, Read Full Review)

LG 65EF9500 OLED Ultra HD: $6,000
If you’re ready for TV’s next generation, you’re won’t find a 4K/Ultra HDTV that offers better performance than this one. It ain’t cheap but it will woo you with its super fine detail, true blacks, and to-die-for shadow detail. As a bonus, the set is compatible with HDR10-format high dynamic range content, which is guaranteed to blow your mind.
(April 2016, Read Full Review)

Vizio RS65-B2 LCD Ultra HD: $6,000
Most current Ultra HDTVs deliver only the 4K slice of the Ultra HD pie. Vizio’s RS65-B2 is one of very few sets currently on the market that delivers the full pie: wide color gamut, high dynamic range playback (Dolby Vision, in this case) and 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution—all of which translates into a great picture. “The Vizio performed better than any other 4K full-array backlit set we’ve tested so far,” wrote veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton.
(February/March 2016, Read Full Review)

LG Signature OLED65W7P OLED Ultra HDTV: $8,000
The future has arrived in the form of LG’s flagship TV, an impossibly thin HDR-enabled 4K OLED model that will blow your mind with its sci-fi aesthetic and best-in-class performance. Designed strictly for wall mounting, the 0.15-inch screen offloads the speakers, processing circuitry, power supply, and AV connectors to a svelte soundbar that attaches via a flat umbilical cord. Veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton marveled at the “superb detail, punchy highlights, and deep but well-resolved shadow details” that drew him into the action in Independence Day: Resurgence on UHD/HDR Blu-ray.
(June 2017, Read Full Review)

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant 55 Ultra HD: $8,495
Reviewed along with the company’s BeoLab 18 wireless speaker system, the Avant 55 is the ultimate lifestyle TV, offered with an optional remote-controlled motorized stand ($2,095). Stately looks and whiz-bang features aside, the TV delivers a luxurious picture with excellent detail, color rendition, and black levels. Reviewer Rob Sabin paid a high compliment when he wrote: “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade offered an explosion of colors, and as someone who frequently walks through Herald Square, I was struck by the lifelike accuracy of the red and green street paint used to create the performance “stage” in front of the store.”
(February/March 2015, Read Full Review)

Sony XBR-84X900 3D LCD Ultra HD: $25,000
For those with means who simply must have the latest and greatest state-of-the-art TV we offer up the XBR-84X900 with a colossal 84-inch screen that produces an uncanny combination of detail and creamy smoothness. In the words of veteran TV reviewer, Tom Norton: “Visually, the colors were never less than outstanding, with spot-on fleshtones and bright, natural hues in every source I watched.” The set also does a superb job of upscaling standard high-def material, making it nearly indistinguishable from native 4K, and offers 3D viewing that Norton described as “easily the most impressively sharp and detailed 3D I’ve yet experienced from a consumer display.”
(HomeTheater.com, posted April 5, 2013, Read Full Review)